Worth A Thousand Words
by kjhgfdd
Summary: Memories. It seemed that was all Gabriel had left of being a husband and father. He wanted only to be there for Joshua, but could that one desire be out of reach? Rated T. R&R always appreciated. Chapter 4 now up.
1. Memories

**TT fic! **

_Okay, so I finally got Trauma Team! _

_And so far...well...I FREAKING LOVE IT! Especially Gabriel...*drools* And I love the fact that he has a son, thats so cute! So heres my little ((as of now, this could change into a series of drabbles depending on the response I get)) oneshot! _

_Or...if you want...I could see about maybe making this a story with chapters...? Oh well. Lets see how this goes._

-start fic-

Gabriel strolled into his office, glancing at the wall clock mounted above his couch. It read 6:53 pm. Gabe sighed, it had been as bland a day as any other. He headed to his fridge, grabbing a beer. He cracked it open, and sucked the whole can down before dropping it on the ground. Who needed trashcans?

He grabbed a new pack of cigarettes off the counter and plopped himself down on his couch in order to smoke them. He almost turned RONI off so she wouldn't make any comments about the dangers of smoking, but he simply didn't care. Let her say what she wanted. He fumbled with his cheap lighter until it produced a weak flame, which he used to light the one of the cigarettes he was so deeply addicted to.

"Doctor, smoking tabacco cigarettes can lead to lung cancer, coughing, blackening of the teeth, and-"

"I know RONI, just...just shut up..." Gabe murmured, laying his hand over his eyes and groaning inwardly. He grabbed the remote and flicked on the old TV he had in his office. He didn't know what channel it was on, and he really didn't care. The sole purpose of the TV was for background noise.

After about an hour of just sitting there with the TV going, smoking, ignoring RONI, and simply doing nothing, he finally realized he should eat something. The only food he had in his office was a few bags of stale chips, some Chinese takeout he'd never finished and was probably not too tasty anymore. He decided he'd have to go grab something...depending on how much cash he had with him. He opened his wallet, but his eyes strayed away from the three one-hundred dollar bills he had with him and onto his picture of Joshua. It was a picture he'd covered up by his return information card almost eight years ago, but that must have just recently fallen out.

The picture was of Joshua as a four-month-old baby. His dark brown hair stuck in all different directions, a wide, toothless smile on his face, and his big brown eyes were shimmering. The picture had been taken while Joshua was laying on his back, grasping a colorful plastic block between his chubby little baby fingers. He remembered taking the picture on a particular Thursday he'd had off, while Lisa worked. And while some people wouldn't have wanted to spend their day off looking after a baby, Gabriel had loved spending time with his son.

Looking at the picture, he sighed. He and his wife had stopped living together when Joshua was two. Things had started going downhill shortly after his first birthday. They'd begun to argue more, Lisa kicked Gabe out of their bed and onto the couch at night, and they couldn't seem to compromise or agree on anything. When Joshua cried or got sick, Lisa made sure she was the one to attend to him. It devasted her a bit how he almost displayed no resemblance to her, yet looked entirely like Gabriel.

By Joshua's second birthday, all hope had been lost for rekindling the relationship. Gabriel packed up and got moved out on a day while Lisa took Joshua to a little kids' amusement park. Joshua had noticed the absense, but Lisa managed to find a way to make the memory of Gabe disappear almost completely from Joshua's memory.

"Miss those days..." Gabe muttered.

He started to shut his wallet, when he noticed another two pictures. One was a wedding picture of himself and Lisa, and the other was a picture taken when they were at a fancy restaurant for dinner, while Lisa was pregnant.

He first studied the wedding photo. Lisa had worn a strapless white wedding dress with all kinds of beading and small silver flower embroidery on it. She had a veil resting on top of her copper-brown, wavy hair. The veil flowed down her curvaceous back, making her look angelic. Her light tan skin glowed, and her green eyes were gleaming with happiness. He stared at her beautiful build, sighing again. He looked over to himself, dressed in a tuxedo with a white flower adorning the front. His hair had been neatened just a bit, and his smile was completely genuine.

He studied the next picture. The two sat in a fancy booth, both dressed in nice clothes. He'd wore a collared, long sleeved shirt and some black trousers. His wife was wearing a red maternity dress. In the picture, he had his arms around his wife, one hand resting on her rounded middle. They'd gotten a waiter to snap the picture for them. He had to chuckle a bit at his pregnant ex-wife. He remembered how badly she'd wanted a baby. It took quite a few tries to finally get one, though. And their very first baby had been a miscarriage. She'd been completely and utterly devastated. But she still didn't give up.

Gabe had honestly not been as determined to have a baby as his wife. But he would never forget holding his son for the first time. He'd been born at Resurgam, tiny and pink, weighing in at six pounds, 9 ounces, with a full head of fluffy black hair. He remembered a young Maria who he had only recently met coming in to see Gabe's new son. That was seriously the _only _time she had ever been nice enough not to make some rude comment.

He then actually began to look for the picture he had of his son on the night he was born. He finally was able to locate it, after pulling out many different credit and debit cards to find it hidden beneath an old, expired card of some sort.

In the picture, he was leaning down next to his wife, who was laying in a hospital bed holding their son, a wide grin on his tired face. Lisa had managed to look beautiful despite the exhaustion clearly visible in her eyes. Gabriel remembered the events prior to Joshua's birth as if they'd just happened yesterday.

Lisa had awoken Gabriel at eleven o'clock that night, telling him she was having cramps. Being the doctor he was, he asked her some questions, and figured she was most likely in labor. He got everything ready, and got Lisa in the car. He sped off to Resurgam.

After nine long hours, Joshua was finally born. Gabe had held his wife's hand and gave her all the encouragement he could as she delivered their son. He entered the world with a loud, healthy cry. Gabe got to cut the cord, and soon after the doctors presented Lisa with their newborn. His and Lisa's parents came to meet the baby, along with a few of Gabriel's mentors at the hospital, who came up to congratulate the couple.

Gabriel stared at the picture. He wasn't sure if he'd ever been that happy in his life. He did a lot wrong in life, like maybe not really putting much effort into fixing things with Lisa, and not keeping contact with his son, the mistakes he made while diagnosing patients... But to him, his little boy was _perfect. _

He stuffed all the pictures back in his wallet. He laid a hand over his face, suddenly feeling more melancholy than hungry. He slowly closed his wallet, and slipped it into his pocket once more. The one person he loved more than anything else on the planet, more than anything in the universe, more than _himself,_ he had so little involvement to the point where his son didn't even know of Gabriel being his father. Gabe's heart ached a bit everytime he thought about it. He hadn't gotten to be there to teach his son how to ride a bike, or teach how to fix things, take him tool shopping...any of the things dads taught their boys.

And now, all he could do was wallow in sadness. How was he ever supposed to get his son back into his life? He wanted so desperately to do so. But for him... getting back together with Lisa wasn't something he intended to do. The relationship between the two had been completely and totally severed. Gabriel simply wasn't willing to patch things up, especially since they were currently going through a divorce process.

He sighed, forgetting about eating that night. He just wanted to be with Joshua.

Nothing more.

But right now...that was out of his reach.

-end fic-

_Soo? What did you think? Leave a quick review letting me know what I should do with this. Even if I should just completely scrap it, tell me so. I could just do some random little drabbles for you all, or turn this into an ongoing chapter story? Hmm. Anyway, thanks for reading =)_


	2. Fatherly Responsibilities

**So, I decided to continue this. Tell me what you think!  
- **

Gabriel woke up the next morning on his couch, and groaned. He glanced at the clock on his wall, which clearly displayed that it was 9:37. Today must have been a slow day at Resurgam... Well, that was one thing to be thankful for. Gabriel pulled himself off the couch and grabbed a pack of cigarettes off the cluttered coffee table of his, and stuck one between his lips. He lit one and took a long drag.

Just as he was beginning to relax, his cell phone began to vibrate in his pocket, startling him from his trance. He slipped the phone from his pants and checked the caller ID, and it wasn't a number he recognized.

"Uh, hello?" He said unsurely into the phone.

"Is this Dr. Cunningham?" A woman's voice asked from the other end.

"Yeah, this is he. How can I, err, help?"

"This is Susan Roberts, calling from East Portland Elementary, your son is Joshua, correct?"

"Umm, Y-yeah..."

"Well, today was his first day back to school after having surgery as you know..." Gabriel actually had no idea, but he wasn't going to bring that up.

"...And he seems to need one more day to rest. We weren't able to reach your wi- his, uh, mother. So you'll need to have him picked up." Gabriel was silent for a moment.

"Uhm...is he okay? What's wrong with him?" He finally managed to ask.

"Well...he says his stomach hurts, and he has a headache. Our school nurse thinks it would be best if he had a day or two more to rest."

"I'll be there in a little while." Gabriel declared.

"Alright, I'll let him know he's being picked up."

"Alright. Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir. Bye, now..."

Gabe hung up his phone, and looked around his office. Where in the hell was he supposed to take Joshua? He'd just have to neaten his office and let him rest on the couch...

"Esha!" Gabe called, walking down the hall.

"Gabe? What is it?" She called from her desk. Gabriel walked to her desk and met with Esha, who was looking over papers.

"Uh...well, today was Joshua's first day back to school since surgery, and he needs another day to rest. I'm gunna run get him."

"Whoa, wait! Why didn't they call Lisa?" Esha asked, a suprised expression on her face.

"They couldn't reach her! I guess she put me down as an emergency contact or something, y'know, where I'm the _last _person they call," Gabriel grumbled.

"Oh, well alright. But you can't just leave him in there while you work, Gabe."

"Wha-? Why not?" He asked.

"Because you need to actually _watch _him. I'll take it off your vacation time. I mean, you've still got eight days after this one!" Esha replied.

"But-! Ugh, fine. I'll be back inna few."

Esha nodded, her attention returning to the paperwork on her desk.

Gabe headed out of Resurgam and toward his car. He didn't know exactly how to get to Joshua's school, but his GPS could tell him.

He was soon driving down the road, following the instructions his GPS gave him. He couldn't help but chuckle at how the device reminded him of RONI. Giving out instructions...

He pulled into a large brick building about ten minutes later, and the sign above the main entrance confirmed he was at the right place.

_East Portland Elementary: Where great minds flourish! _

Gabe chuckled inwardly at the generic slogan. He walked up the concrete path and pulled the door open. He was greeted with rather plain beige walls, and a blue office. He stepped inside and wasted no time declaring his reason for being there.

"Uh, I'm Gabriel Cunningham. I'm here to pick up Joshua." He stated to an older woman behind the counter.

"Oh, hello! Yes, Joshua's in the nurse's room. Follow me," She replied, leading him down the hall. They arrived a few minutes later to the nurses office. Joshua was laying on a cot, staring at the ceiling. The woman lowered her voice to speak to the ten-year-old.

"Joshua...someone's here to pick you up!" Joshua's eyes gravited to the doorway.

"D-Doctor? Y-you're...picking me up?" He asked, his voice slightly scratchy from disuse.

"Uhm, yes. You're mother couldn't...and I'm the secondary contact on your paperwork. Anyway...you ready to go?"

"Oh, yes...go...go where? A-are you just going to...drop me off at my house?" He asked, a melancholy expression overcoming his face.

"No, of course not! You're not old enough to be home alone..." Gabriel replied. "You're gonna come back to my office, and you can rest on the couch. But I'm taking the day off to, uh, look after you. Alright?"

Joshua nodded, and pulled himself off the cot. He laid an arm on his stomach, groaning softly at the pain near his scar.

"Are you okay to walk, Joshua?" Gabriel inquired, worried.

"Oh, yeah, I'm okay." Joshua replied with a weak smile. Joshua trudged over and took Gabe's hand, a gesture that surprised him. He walked back down the hall hand in hand with his son, in order to get him signed out. Once he did so, he headed back to his car with Joshua.

...

"You okay back there?" Gabe asked a few minutes later, when he noticed while looking in the rearview mirror that Joshua was slumped in his seat.

"Yes, doctor...I'm just tired, that's all..." He murmured as his eyelids began to feel heavy.

"I understand. Just checking on you," Gabe replied. He pulled back into the Resurgam parking lot minutes after, and got out of the car. He noticed that Joshua remained where he was in the backseat of the car.

Gabriel opened the door, doing as best he could not to open it loudly. Just as Gabe had thought, Joshua was sound asleep.

He didn't want to carry him inside...he'd have to awaken him gently.

"Joshua...we're here...c'mon, wake up..." He murmured. But Joshua didn't budge.

_He must sleep like me, _Gabe thought to himself. _Fall asleep fast and sleep heavily...huh. _

Gabe wasn't so unkind that he would forcefully awaken his sleeping son, especially when he didn't feel very well. But he was embarrassed to have to walk in carrying his sleeping son. If Maria saw, she would give him so much crap later...

But that was a risk he was going to have to take. He leaned into the car, and gently lifted his son out. He let Joshua's head rest on his left shoulder, and he supported the rest of his body using his left arm.

_He sure is light...is that normal? _Gabe thought to himself.

He shut the car door again as quietly as possible, and headed to the entrance nearest to his office. He tried to get in as quickly as he could, but he was faced with Esha who happened to be nearby. She turned to him, and her initial reaction was opening her eyes wide, then she made an 'Aww!' sort of face.

"Oh, Gabe!" Esha whispered. "He is so cute!" Gabe gave her his famous smirk since he didn't have much of a reply. He walked toward his office and quietly opened the door.

He laid Joshua down on the beige couch, and when he did, Joshua's eyes opened again.

"D-doctor?" He asked softly. "Where...where am I?"

Gabe had to chuckle. "My office. You need a blanket or somethin'?"

"O-oh...well, i-if it isn't any trouble, then y-yes please..." Joshua replied, rubbing his eyes. "It's no trouble," Gabe answered. "The one I have is...filthy, so lemme get Esha to run get you one. Sound alright?" Joshua bobbed his head up and down in a nod.

...

"Are you comfortable enough, Joshua?" Gabe asked as he sat down at his desk to do some paperwork. Joshua was awake, but he didn't answer.

"...Joshua?"

Gabe looked over to Joshua, and he had a tear rolling down his left cheek, and his face crumpled up some. Gabe's eyes widened at the sight.

"Joshua! What's wrong?" He asked, raising his voice slightly.

"D-Doctor...it...it hurts _really _b-bad..." He squeaked. Gabe rose quickly from his desk chair and sat down next to his son on the couch. Joshua had been holding in how bad it was hurting for almost a half hour. Gabe had been intently working on paperwork, and he was a bit shy to say that he was in pain.

Gabriel lifted Joshua's shirt up to see the scars from his operation. He met with red, swollen scars with tiny bumps near the area where the stitches had been.

"This is infected, you need to see the kid..." Gabe said hurriedly. "Wait here for a minute."

Joshua nodded slowly. Gabe hopped out of the room and ran down the hall, running into Maria. He was running at such a speed that he didn't quite have time to stop when he saw her. He collided into her in an awkward fashion.

"Hey, watch it, asshole!" Maria snapped. Gabriel didn't waste time apologizing or arguing that he was not an asshole.

"Maria, shut up. I got Joshua in my office. His scars are infected...do you know where the kid's at? He needs to take a look at them," Gabe said hurriedly.

"Damn Gabe, chill out! He's not gonna die in the next ten minutes! And...I don't know, but I think he just finished operating upstairs. Some crazy asshole who had a tumor in his-" Gabe cut her off short.

"Thanks, Maria!" Gabe called as he headed toward the elevator. "You can get back to me on that tumor some other time!"

...

Gabe spotted the surgeon he'd been looking for almost as soon as he stepped off the elevator, being escorted presumably back to his room by Tomoe.

"Hey, kid!" Gabe called. "My boy's scars are infected. Y'know, Joshua? He's got some redness and irritation going on. I think he may have forgotten to take his medicine or somethin'. Can you take a look at him?"

CR-S01 glanced back to Tomoe, then nodded solemnly.

"Yes. How progressed would you say the infection is?" He asked, that ever-calm voice of his slipped through his lips.

"It looks bad. I swear, that boy's got some issues with telling people when he's in pain..." Gabe muttered as he walked alongside Tomoe and CR-S01 swiftly back toward the elevator.

"I see. They'll need to be treated as soon as possible so he doesn't end up in worse condition than he was to begin with." CR-S01 declared.

"Gabe...I know it isn't any business of mine, and it's dishonorable to pry...but...why is Joshua with you?" Tomoe asked, thick hesitation in her voice.

"Uh, well...I got a call from his school saying he needed to be picked up, so I picked him up and brought him here," Gabe replied as they rode down in the elevator.

Tomoe nodded, saying nothing more.

"Dr. Cunningham, is Joshua's temperature elevated?" CR-S01 asked, breaking the silence amongst them.

"I'm not sure, but I'll take it while you have a look at those scars...sorry,it didn't cross my mind," Gabe muttered.

"Thank you," CR-S01 said simply.

...

"It's low grade, but it's still a fever," Gabe declared after pulling the thermometer from his son's mouth. CR-S01 was busy studying the severity of the scars.

"I don't quite understand. We made sure the wounds were healing cleanly and bandaged appropriately before we discharged him, how could this be happening?" The surgeon murmured as he looked at the infected areas. "Nonetheless, this needs to be dealt with before it gets more severe."

RONI decided she should butt into their conversation, but thankfully it wasn't to make some far-fetched suggestion. "Shall I request a room for the patient?"

"Yes, RONI. And hurry it up," Gabe replied. "Make sure whoever comes brings something to transport him with."

"Request sent...request approved!"

"Excellent. Joshua, just hang in there, okay?" Gabe said to his son. Joshua smiled weakly back up at him.

...

"We still don't understand how the infection came about," Tomoe said, her voice soft, as her and Gabe were sitting in Joshua's hospital room as he slept. "But...the medicine we're administering to him should rid him of the infection completely... It was recently developed. It's been approved and all, though, of course. And we've got him on an IV of diluted painkillers. After about 48 hours he should be free of infection, and...he shouldn't have anymore problems after that."

Gabe nodded, studying his son's sleeping face. His mouth was closed, and he had his arms down by his sides. His eyelashes would move just the slightest little bit, and he'd move an arm every so often. Gabe couldn't get over how much Joshua looked like him. His eyes, his hair, his skintone, his thin lips, skinny build, _everything. _

There was an IV attched to each arm, one was a large IV with clear liquid, the medicine, and the other was a very subtle shade of pink, the painkiller.

"...Gabe, are you okay?" Tomoe inquired, picking up on Gabe's melancholy vibe.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It just kinda sucks, y'know?" Gabe muttered. "My own son doesn't know who I am, and nor do I have any real involvement in his life... I wish things weren't like this but...they are. And...there's not much I can do about it..." He said, looking down.

"Gabe... Even if you don't have much involvement in his life right now, he could have hid his symptoms again, and the infection could have become life-threatening. You... you knew something was wrong, and...he should be just fine soon!" Tomoe said, trying to keep her voice low so she wouldn't awaken Joshua.

"I know...but, I've also been thinking recently that maybe I made a bad decision filing for divorce with Lisa...She always seemed to hope we could fix things between us, and..." Gabe mumbled, looking at Tomoe for advice.

"Well...you'll need to speak with Lisa about Joshua's infection treatments anyway...maybe then would be a good time to bring it up that perhaps you made the wrong decision before...and, you want to see if things could be patched up at all," Tomoe replied softly, fidgeting with the hem of her white doctors' coat.

"Thanks, Tomoe. I think I'll do just that."

...

"...And within forty-eight hours he should be completely clear of infection." Gabe murmured, sitting with Lisa in his office. She nodded, but her brown eyes were still full of some emotion Gabe couldn't quite identify. It appeared to be a mixture of anxiety and guilt, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"A-alright, Gabriel..." Lisa mumbled. Her eyes had this sadness in them that Gabe recognized from when their marriage had begun to go downhill.

"Lisa...I wanna talk to you about the divorce situation," Gabe declared after taking a deep breath. Lisa's eyes shot up and looked into his, and her eyes had this little shimmer of hope.

"Okay, I'm listening," She answered quickly.

"I...I think I may have made a bad a decision in filing for divorce. After things went downhill for us, I admit that I didn't really make much attempt at fixing things, and...if it isn't too late, I'd love a second chance to prove that I can be a good husband...and father," Gabe declared. Lisa's eyes seemed to light up.

"R-really?" She asked, the sadness that Gabe thought would be forever in her eyes, beginning to fade.

"Yes...if you'd be so forgiving as to give me another chance," He answered, a smile spreading across his lips. Lisa felt her heart melt at his smile. She really, really loved Gabe, and had begun to fall into a depression when he filed for divorce. This just seemed to flip her sad and lonely world rightside up again, just by the few sentences to leave his lips. Without thinking at all, she threw herself at Gabe, locking him in a kiss.

Gabe was surprised, but kissed her right back. Gabe parted his lips and gave Lisa access to the rest of his mouth, and she did the same.

The kiss lasted for about twenty seconds...and every second was wonderful on both ends. Finally, their lips parted, and they met eyes.

"Gabe..." Lisa began, trailing off.

"Lisa...I-I...I know this may sound...like it's too soon...but, I love you..." He felt his face get warm as he uttered each syllable.

"I-I...luh-love you, t-too..." Lisa managed to choke out. Gabe wrapped his warm arms around his wife, and hugged her tightly. She felt herself begin to cry, for reason's she didn't understand. But the warmth and comfort of being wrapped in Gabe's arms made her feel so safe and...loved.

Gabe loved every moment of the embrace, but the question lingered somewhere deep, _deep _in his mind.

What was to happen from here?

**Please, please review. This took me like a whole week to write since I've been so busy. So reviews are super appreciated =) **

**Thanks!**


	3. Brighter Future

_I got a pretty good response from Ch. 2, so I think this may become a series. Sound alright? And by the way, I know that the ending of the last chapter was a little rushed, and I'm super-duper sorry. I honestly could think of no other way to end it, and it was getting to a point where it needed to end. So, I'll do my best to make this better. _

_-start fic- _

Gabriel pulled off his white doctor's coat, and threw it onto his office couch. He checked his clock for the seventeenth time in the last five minutes,and saw that it _finally _displayed 6:15. His shift was over...and he was headed to dinner with Lisa, something he'd anticipated all day.

After the sudden intimate moment between the two in Gabe's office, they'd decided they needed to slow things down and make sure the feelings between them were true, so she'd planned for them to eat at a local steakhouse the following evening. Lisa was up in Joshua's hospital room at the moment, spending time with her beloved son before she spent the evening out.

The plan was for them to meet up at the main entrance of Resurgam at 6:15. Gabe walked out leisurely to see his wife, the brilliant colors of the sky pouring in through the glass doors, and meeting with her beautiful body. She was about average height, she was slender, but had beautiful curves...and her skin was ivory, unlike Gabriel's. Her eyes were round and were a chocolate brown color...something Joshua had been lucky to inherit.

"Hello, Lisa..." He murmured to her. She turned, her eyes meeting with his. She was dressed in a grey sweater and jeans.

"Oh, hi, Gabe..." She said, smiling broadly at the sight of her husband.

"Uh, ya ready?" He asked with that famous, heartmelting smirk.

"Y-yes!" She replied, a little flustered. Gabe opened the door for her, and motioned for her to go first. She headed out and Gabe followed behind her. He led her toward his grey Lexus, and opened the passenger door for her.

"Thanks, Gabe," She murmured. Gabe smiled and gave her a nod.

...

"So, how's Joshua doing in school?" Gabe asked as he drove down the highway toward the steakhouse.

"He does so well...he was identified as gifted and talented last year, he plays for the soccer team, he got Student of the Month last month, and he always turns in his homework. I'm so proud of him..." Lisa answered, she loved bragging about her baby.

"Heh, looks like he's a star student over there, eh?" Gabe replied, feeling a happy sensation knowing how accomplished his boy was.

"Oh, he is. His teachers love him...tons of kids over there wrote him get well notes after the operation. The whole school seemed to be worried about him! And he has so many little friends. He has them over on weekends sometimes, and he carpools to soccer events with a sweet little boy named Carter..."

Gabe loved hearing all about what a happy life Joshua seemed to have, but it pained him to really realize how much he'd missed. He'd never seen his son play soccer, he'd never gotten to congratulate him on his success in school, take him to his friends houses...

"That's fantastic..." Gabe said, followed by a sigh. "I hate how much I've missed..." Gabe admitted. "Does...does he ask about me? Y'know does he ever come up to you like, 'Hey, mom, where's my dad? Does he even care about me?' or anything like that?"

Lisa sighed, then reached an arm out to pat Gabe's shoulder. "Joshua has asked before...but what I tell him is that his dad loves him, but that daddy and mommy had some disagreements, so daddy went off to help save people's lives. He thinks of his daddy as a superhero, Gabe...you see?"

Gabe smiled and reached over to take Lisa's hand and give it a light squeeze. "So...you didn't tell him he had a prick of a father who was just a lazy diagnostician who had a cigarette addiction and a bitter heart?" Gabe asked softly, as he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.

Lisa chuckled softly, and massaged Gabe's hand with her thumb. "Of course not...that would just make him unhappy, and...you're a lot sweeter than you care to admit, Gabe. You're actually a very sweet guy. I think... you put up an act of being sarcastic, when really you're not sure where to go in life. Am I right?" Lisa asked, then met eyes with Gabe's.

"...Yeah, you're absolutely right. But now...I would give anything to fix the problems we ran into, and be a father to my boy...I've made a lot of mistakes, but...I want to fix them, and be there for both of you," Gabriel said, complete sincerity in his voice.

"I'd love that, Gabe. But...how are we going to tell Joshua? That...that you're his father?" Lisa asked. Gabe sighed.

"I don't know yet, but I think the best thing to do is to let him know as soon as possible. I think you and I should both go in tonight and see him, and tell him what's been going on, and that you and I want to try to fix things and rebuild from here. He should be feeling a lot better by tonight," Gabe suggested. Lisa smiled at him, and nodded.

"And he thinks a lot of you, Gabe. He told me that you're a great doctor and that you really seemed worried about him. He appreciates that, y'know," Lisa added.

"I'd always thought it would be great if I could choose my patients...until I was assigned to diagnose Joshua. I-I...really wanted to see him. It'd been eight years since I had..."

"I understand. He really likes you though, and I could never thank you enough for getting him to admit he was sick...otherwise, who _knows _what could have happened. It...devastates me to think. Joshua doesn't want to worry anybody, ever. He's a hard boy to understand, sometimes. Just like you..." Lisa murmured.

"I guess you're right. Well, are you ready to go in?" Gabe asked, his smirk returning. Lisa smiled in return, and nodded. They both exited the car, and Gabe took Lisa's hand as they walked into the restaurant together.

...

"Well, that was good," Gabe said as they got into his Lexus.

"It was," Lisa agreed.

"I guess we'll uh, need to go talk to Joshua..." Gabe murmured.

"Yes. How should we go about it?" Lisa asked, glancing his direction.

"Well...I think we should both go in and say hello to him, ask how he is and all, y'know, just make small talk. Then...tell him we need to talk to him. I'll start by saying that its important, and...tell him. 'Joshua, I'm your dad.' And together, we'll answer any questions he has," Gabe replied, his voice level.

"I think that's a good way to go about it. I just wonder how Joshua will respond to you being his father. I'm sure he'll be so happy once the idea sinks in, but...at first...he may not believe us. He probably will need time to really adjust, which is understandable..." Lisa chimed in.

"Yeah, of course. I don't expect him to go 'Great! I'll just be callin' you dad now! This is faaantastic! I love you _DAD_!' or anything of the sort, no worries, babe," He said. He felt his face warm a bit after referring to his wife as 'babe'. He hadn't called her that since the night Joshua was born. He stole a quick glance in her direction, and saw that she was beaming. He let smile spread across his face as well.

...

"Hey, baby...how are ya?" Lisa asked softly as she walked into Joshua's room, with Gabe close behind her. Joshua looked up from the Rubix cube he had in his hands and smiled.

"Good! Oh, hello doctor!" Joshua said, and his face lit up when he met eyes with Gabe.

"Hey, Joshua. What,uh...have you been doing?" He asked, searching for any means of conversation he could.

"Well...I had to do some schoolwork. I had one of those nice nurses check it for me! They told me it was right, and when I got done, they gave me this thingy to try to figure out. But...I'm thinking it's impossible. I have almost all the oranges on this side except for one...but everywhere else is still all mixed up!" Joshua exclaimed, holding up the Rubix cube. Gabriel had to laugh, he'd always thought those little things plastic cubes of confusion were a big waste of time.

"Oh, I've always hated those things. They make me want to scream... I don't have any patience for them," Gabe laughed. Lisa smiled to, then changed the subject.

"Joshua, sweetheart. We need to talk to you about something," Lisa said in a firm tone. Joshua put the little toy down on his bedside table and looked at his mother.

"I'm listening," He replied, fidgeting with his fingernails. He was worried they would say he needed to stay in the hospital longer.

"Well...do you remember when you were six years old, and you asked about where your daddy was?" She asked, wording everything carefully. He nodded slowly, his face blank.

"Well, do you remember what my response was?"

"You said that you two had some fights so he took some time off to go save lives, right?" He asked, confused at where this was going.

"Right. Okay, here's another question for you. Who figured out that you were sick, and needed surgery to live?" She asked him. Joshua pointed to Gabe slowly.

"...Right." Lisa didn't have to finish before Joshua's eyes suddenly became the size of dinnerplates.

"M-mom...? Y-you...don't...mean..." He trailed off, as he studied the doctor before him. The hair...the eyes...body type...he saw similarities to himself _everywhere_. Lisa took a deep breath and looked in Gabe's direction.

"...Joshua, I... Y-you're...my son. Your mother and I married about a year before you were born, and...we had some problems, but...we're working to resolve those problems and...and...I-I wanna be there for ya, kiddo. You're my son..." Gabe said softly. Joshua still had a shocked expression stuck on his face, but he could feel this happy sensation bubbling somewhere deep within him.

"You're...my dad?" Joshua asked after about a whole three minutes of deafening silence.

Gabriel smiled and nodded. The shocked expression began to fade, and Joshua started to laugh. It started out as a little giggle, and soon he was holding his stomach he was laughing so hard.

"How...did...I not...figure...it out?" He choked out between gasps for air and laughter. Gabe and Lisa could not help but laugh nervously along with him.

"I-I mean...we...I...look just l-like you!" He said between breaths. "And...you checked on me more than any other doctor I've ever had! And...Are you and my-well, mom going to...well, get...remarried?" He asked, his laughter finally fading.

"Well, uh, we're still technically married, Joshua," He replied. Joshua's face became solemn.

"Oh. Why didn't you guys tell me before?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"We were waiting for the right time, baby. We wanted to wait till you were feeling a little better before we tried to tell you something as big as this, you see?" She answered calmly.

"Well, okay. But, um... can I have some time alone with, uh...him?" Joshua said unsurely as he motioned to Gabe. He wasn't so sure about calling Gabe 'Dad' yet, he was still in disbelief.

"Of course! I'll go wait in the hall," She said, heading for the door. She was soon out of sight, and Gabe was left alone with his son.

"So...you're my..._dad?_" Joshua asked after the door shut.

"Uhm, yes I am. We had you when your mother was 21, and when I was 23. We'd been married for about...a year and a half, actually, when you were born. But, uh, around the time you turned two, we had some problems, so we decided we needed to separate, so you wouldn't have to see us fight all the time...understand?" Gabe asked him.

"Yes. But...why didn't you divorce right then?" Joshua asked. _Wow, that's a good question. _Gabe thought. _He is smart... _

"Well...I s'pose your mom and I still loved each other deep down. I never went out with anyone else during the time we were apart. No one had the same affect on me that your mother had. She's a great woman, Joshua."

"Yeah, she is. She never dated anybody either, and she's a very good mom. My Aunt Kara had a baby a few months ago before I got sick, but her husband is in the Marines, so Aunt Kara stayed with us! And mom showed me how to hold a baby. She's really good with babies. Did you know that?"

_Kara had a baby? That's good for her, I'll have to give her a late congratulations when I can... _Gabe thought, making a mental note about his sister-in-law.

"Yeah, she was great with you when you were a baby."

"I bet. Hey...um...is it okay if I umm...call you, y'know, dad?" He asked nervously.

"Huh? Oh, sure! Yeah, thats fine... I kinda miss it when you were two and you knew how to say dad. You were a cute kid, Joshua, and you still are quite the looker," Gabe said, remembering fondly Joshua's younger days.

"Thanks, um...dad." Joshua got this amazing little thrill that made him want to yelp with delight being able to say to word 'dad' to someone as neat as Gabe.

"Heh...you're welcome, son."

"Hey...are you gunna move in with my mom and me?" He asked, a little shimmer in his ochre eyes.

"Well, let's just see how things go, okay? Your mom and I want to make sure that these feelings, y'know, last."

Joshua nodded, and looked back down again. He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"What time is it?" He asked softly.

"About eleven-thirty. Gettin' sleepy?" He asked with a little smirk. Joshua blinked a few times.

"Yeah...can I say goodnight to mom?" He asked, his eyelids drooping a bit.

"Of course," He replied, and went to open the door and motion Lisa to come in. She took his cue and hopped off the nylon covered chair outside the room and headed in.

She went over to Joshua's bedside and leaned down to kiss him goodnight.

"Goodnight, love...sweet dreams," She murmured. Gabe smiled and ruffled his boys hair and murmured a soft "G'night, son..." And exited the room with his wife following close behind.

...

Gabe and Lisa were back in Gabe's office on his couch, watching some mindless soap opera, when Lisa turned and planted her lips into Gabe's, just as suddenly as before. Gabe smiled at the sudden show of affection and wrapped his arms around her as they kissed. They broke off after a minute, and she murmured softly to him.

"I love you so much..." She whispered. He smiled and locked her in another kiss, sliding his hands lower on her back...

For the first time in about nine years, the two intimately shared their bodies.

Gabe was certain later that night when he awoke unclothed, and with his unclothed wife laying on top of him, the two covered by a blanket, that this was something to last.

He leaned down and kissed his wife on the top of the head. She was fast asleep, she must've been exhausted. Gabe hadn't planned for things to go as far as they had, but...he wouldn't go back and change it.

He smiled to himself before drifting back off to sleep. It seemed everything was finally falling into place.

-_end fic- _

_I hope you enjoyed. If any of you were here for a lemon, you can, uh, use your imagination or something. Heheh. Anyway, I'd really appreciate some reviews. I hope you didn't find this to be as rushed as the last chapter, I tried to be a better about that. _

_More reviews= faster updates. _

_Stay classy._


	4. Nightmares

_Chapter 4. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I tried to update this quickly since you guys reviewed. _

_Oh! And this chapter takes place about...four months after Joshua learned Gabe was his dad, so there's no confusion. _

_-start fic- _

"Did you get enough to eat, Joshua?" Gabriel called after his son as he cleared the table from their dinner together. Joshua turned on his heel and smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, dad. That grilled cheese was good!" He said in his usual cheerful tone.

It was a quiet Friday night, and Lisa had taken the night to go out late to have a "Girls Night Out" as she called it, with a few friends. So tonight, it was just father and son.

"Thanks, son. So...what would you like to do?" He asked as he manuevered their plates around in the dishwasher, looking for space to put them. He'd run, then empty that before Lisa got back, and make sure to get the clothes out of the dryer and folded, too. He was starting to really get good at this whole husband thing.

"I wanted to watch the soccer tournament, y'know, the pro soccer?" He asked, his big ochre eyes gleaming with excitement. "Maybe then I can learn some strategies for soccer, and score like crazy!" He exclaimed. Gabe smiled at his son, and sat down next to him on their leather couch in order to help him find the channel he wanted. After a few minutes it was successfully located, and Joshua settled in to watch the soccer players intently.

"Joshua, I'm gonna do a few things while you watch that, is that alright?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. Joshua looked over at him and nodded with a smile on his face.

Gabe headed into the laundry room, and grabbed the load of clothes out of the dryer, and carried them into the living room. He laid them out on the couch, and began folding the clothes. To his surprise, Joshua came over and began helping him.

"Oh, you don't have to, Joshua..." Gabe began, trailing off. Joshua looked up at him.

"I don't mind, Dad. I can fold clothes and watch TV at the same time!" He announced, a smile spreading on his face.

Gabe couldn't help but chuckle and ruffle his son's thick brown hair before folding up a few more shirts.

"Wow, Dad, look!" Joshua exclaimed excitedly. Gabe looked up at the TV right as someone maneuvered around another player from the opposite team and made an impressive score, straight over the goalie's head.

"Wow, nice score!" Gabe said in response. Joshua grabbed a pair of his own jeans and began folding as he asked his father a question.

"Can I ever be that good?" He asked softly, halfway talking to his father, halfway to himself. Gabe chuckled at his sweet little son. Joshua didn't seem to have the over-confident personality Gabe had.

"Of course, you're already your teams star player! Remember at the game on Tuesday, you kids whooped the other teams' asses! Oh-sorry. A-anyway, you must've scored like half of all those points. You can kick a soccer ball pretty good, kid," Gabe told him, as he started to neatly stack the clothes in different piles depending on who they belonged to.

"Oh, I'm not all _that _good..." He murmured modestly. Gabe gave him a playful punch in the arm after he said that. He was, and he knew it. He was just too sweet and modest to admit he was by far the best player on the team.

"Did ya get a little out of practice when you were in the hospital?" Gabe asked.

"Well, yes, I really did. And I missed playing a lot! I love the...oh, what's that word... the exciting feeling..."

"Adrenaline," Gabe interjected.

"Yeah! I love all that... _adrenaline_ rushing through me as I kick the black and white ball into the goal, and I hear a buncha people cheer, and all my friends give me high fives, and then sometimes after games we go to Luigi's for pizza! And...and, oh, I'm talking too much, sorry!" He said quickly.

"No, no, kid! That's great you found something you love and you're good at. Don't be sorry," Gabe replied, as they finished folding clothes. He glanced at his watch, and saw that it was almost nine. They'd eaten pretty late.

"All right, Joshua. Run get your pajamas on and brush your teeth. You can watch TV in here as long as you like, but do those things just in case you fall asleep in here, okay? I'm getting pretty tired myself..." Joshua nodded and hopped up from the edge of the couch, and went down the hall into his bedroom. He quickly slipped out of his clothes and into a t-shirt and some long pajama pants. Then he headed into the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth as his father had instructed.

He then went back out into the living room, and sat down on the leather couch. His father was finishing up cleaning the kitchen, and then he walked over by the couch.

"Well, I'm pretty wiped out. I'm gonna turn in early tonight. But if you need anything...come get me, okay?" He asked. Joshua nodded.

"Good. Well, goodnight," He murmured as he bent down to give his son a quick hug. After their little embrace, he headed back into his and Lisa's room to get in bed.

...

After Gabe had retired into his bedroom, Joshua began flipping through channels on the TV, and had come across an old movie...called _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, _just starting up. He sat there feeling like a big kid - he'd never seen a horror movie. Yet as the movie progressed, he became more and more scared, until he was at the point of being terrified. He had accidently dropped the remote under the couch, so he couldn't turn it off, yet he was afraid to stick his hand down to try and retrieve it...he was scared something might grab his wrist. His mother had never let him see a horror movie, and his first one was _not _mixing well with him.

He watched the movie till the very ending credits, and he was terrified inside and out.

He leapt off the couch and ran into his room, and quickly shut the door behind him before jumping into bed and pulling the sheets up to his nose. As he laid there awake, the shadows seemed more and more like they were murderers waiting to kill him if he went to sleep. He was unaware of his own shivering, and whenever he heard a little sound, it translated to him as a chainsaw, about to remove his head. His stomach was in knots, he was drenched in sweat, he was shuddering from fear, and he felt as though he would be killed any second.

He gulped and squeezed his eyes shut, but then opened them again quickly, scared something would get him while his eyes were closed. His heart was thudding hard against his chest, he was beginning to hyperventilate. Every time he blinked, he saw that man with the mask and the chainsaw. He had a zombie poster in his zoom, and in the lowlight and in his mind it began to look more and more real. He let out a small whimper.

He realized somewhere in his completely boggled and terror-stricken mind he had to get out of his room, and _fast. _He took a shaky breath, then scrambled out of bed and hit the floor running. He dashed uncoordinated to the door, but for a moment it seemed as though he wouldn't be able to open it, as his sweat-covered palms made this difficult. He finally managed to get it opened, but he would've screamed bloody murder if he had gone another moment in that room.

As soon as the door was opened, he dashed down the hall as fast as he could, on the verge of tears. He swore he heard someone chasing him out of his bedroom.

He dashed toward his parents' room, and started to cry and stamp his feet right as he struggled with the doorknob desperately to get it opened. He flung himself into the room after a moment, using all of his strength. Tears were running down little Joshua's face as he flung himself at his father, who was already sitting up in bed when he heard running down the hall.

Joshua jumped right at Gabe, and he started to scream and cry he was so scared.

"Joshua! What's wrong?" Gabe was alarmed to see his son in such hysterics. He leaned forward quickly and instinctively wrapped his arms around Joshua, who was panting and crying between screams.

Gabe pulled Joshua onto his lap, and protectively wrapped his arms around him.

"Hey, hey! I got you...I got you...I-I'm right here...i-it's alright...!" Gabe said quickly, doing all he could think to do to soothe his terrified son. He could feel that Joshua was soaked in sweat, and his body was trembling in terror.

Joshua gripped Gabe's t-shirt tightly, and buried his face in his shoulder. He was tense and shuddering in his arms. He began bawling, his tears dripping out of his eyes and onto his father's shirt. Gabe continued to hug his son close, and he would occasionally murmur a soft "Shh..." to him. He was crying too loud for Gabe to even attempt to say anything.

_What the hell is going on with him? He's scared out of his mind...but he was fine earlier! _Gabe thought, worried about his boy.

"Shh...don't cry..."

He laid Joshua's head against his shoulder, and started to rub his back rhymically. He was virtually cradling him, but Gabriel didn't care. He would do whatever it took to find out what had spooked Joshua so much, and make sure he was okay.

"Joshua...hey, c'mon. I'm right here...what's wrong? You're safe, I've got you, you're fine..." Joshua wanted to answer him, but he only managed a feeble squeak.

"Hey, hey..." Gabe wiped a stray tear off of his face using his thumb. "Look at me." Joshua did as he was told, but he was still trembling.

"Repeat after me." Gabe took a deep breath. Joshua took in a quavering breath after him. Gabe took another deep breath, and Joshua continued to answer with quavering breaths until Gabe thought he'd calmed down enough.

"Now, are you okay?" He asked softly.

"I-I...I'm scared..." He whispered.

"What scared you, Joshua?" He said, his voice remaining gentle.

"I-I...watched...a scary movie...and...and...n-now..." The image reappeared in Joshua's head of a person being brutally murdered...and, he started to cry again.

Gabe hugged his son closer to him as he gently shushed him again.

"Movies can be really scary sometimes, but uh, but you know what?" Gabe asked him. Joshua looked up at him for an answer.

"They're never real. They have actors who get hired to pretend to die, and make it seem really scary. But it's not real, theres no one who's gonna kill you. I'm right here to protect you. I-I...love you, Joshua..." Gabe told him as he continued to rub his little back.

Joshua relaxed a bit more in Gabe's arms when he heard this. "I...love you t-too, d-dad..." Gabe could feel the trembles had begun to slow down, and his heart wasn't racing like it had been earlier.

Gabe didn't want to make Joshua go into the details of the movie or even ask what movie he'd watched, so he changed the subject.

"Joshua, how about we go back in your room and get you into some fresh pajamas, and if you want, you can sleep in here with me. How's that sound?" Joshua nodded. But Joshua was still wary of the halls, and insisted on being carried back down to his room. Gabe got off the bed first, then he lifted Joshua off. Joshua's arms were tightly locked around his neck, which wasn't exactly comfortable, but Gabe didn't mind too much.

They arrived in Joshua's room, and there was a faint sweat stain on the bed where Joshua had laid. Gabe stripped Joshua's sheets off the bed and threw them in the laundry room. When he arrived back in Joshua's room, he was dressed in a fresh t-shirt and clean pajama pants.

"Ready?" Gabe asked him, raising an eyebrow. Joshua nodded, and took a shaky breath.

"...You alright?" He asked him. Joshua nodded.

"I-I'm sorry...that movie...i-it just _really, _um, scared me..." Joshua murmured, a little embarrassed.

"Hey, it's alright! You don't have to be sorry, I understand," He said with a reassuring smile, looking into his son's ochre eyes, which were a tad puffy from crying.

Joshua walked forward and took Gabe's hand, feeling it was probably safe to walk the hall if he was close by his dad.

Gabe opened the door and led his son through, who had a deathgrip on his left hand. They walked on the cold hardwood into Gabe and Lisa's cozy room.

Soon they were back in the bed, with Joshua snuggled close to his dad.

The room was dead silent until Joshua's whisper abruptly broke that silence.

"...Dad?"

"Yes, Joshua?" Gabe whispered in response.

"I-I'm scared to go to sleep," he admitted softly, as he pulled the sheets up a little higher.

"Why's that?" Gabe murmured.

"'Cause...I might have a bad dream about that movie..." He whispered.

"Well, I'll be right here if that happens. I'm not going anywhere, kid," Gabe reassured.

"Well, okay...I'll try."

"Good. "

...

Lisa walked in the house, seeing it was dark. She opened Joshua's door, and was surprised not to see him in his bed, and that his bed was stripped of his sheets.

She went into her and Gabriel's bedroom to investigate, and saw one of the sweetest things she'd seen in a long time.

Both her husband and son were asleep, and Joshua was cuddled up close against Gabe's side. Gabe's arm was around their son. She covered her mouth using her hand and smiled.

"Aww..." She whispered. She went into their closet and changed into a nightgown, and got into the bed with them. Gabe woke up when the bed shifted, and smiled.

"Hey, babe..." He whispered, his voice a little scratchy from disuse.

"Hey," She said, smiling. She leaned in and gave Gabe a kiss, then gently kissed Joshua's cheek.

"How was your night out?" He asked after he softly cleared his throat.

"It was so much fun...hey, why is Joshua in here?" She asked, puzzled.

"Well...apparently he decided to watch a horror movie while I tried to get to sleep earlier. He was so scared after he ran in here crying...the poor kid was scared to death," He answered her as he played with a little bit of Joshua's hair. Lisa was alarmed to hear this, and quickly wanted to know more.

"Oh my God...he was _that _scared? What did you do when he came in here like that?"

"He just about gave me a heartattack, but I just held him and told him he was safe, and that I was right there to protect him. He calmed down after a while, but he was so drenched in sweat that he changed his pajamas. I told him he could sleep in here," Gabe murmured.

Lisa smiled.

"You're such a good daddy...but you're becoming a softy," Lisa teased him gently. Gabe chuckled and sighed, a grin on his face.

"You're right, I admit it. He's a good kid, Lisa," Gabe murmured, looking down at his little boy, whose head was resting on Gabe's chest. He was snuggled up close against his dad, and he was resting peacefully.

"You're right, he is," Lisa answered as she got under the covers. "And he's a cutie. You gotta admit, we _do_ make cute kids..." She whispered.

"Yeah...and are you trying to tell me something?" He asked, a little playful tone in his whisper.

"Oh, you be quiet," She stifled a giggle. "No, I'm not. Let's wait about six months before we even start thinking along those lines, shall we? I mean, we've got time. We're young."

Gabe chuckled inwardly. "Oh, I'm totally fine with waiting six months. Damn..." He mumbled.

"What?" She inquired softly.

"It's amazing that we're already...well, _casually _thinking about maybe... possibly... having... another kid. I realized tonight that maybe...maybe I really am pretty good at this whole 'father' thing. I really love you, and our boy. Everytime I see you, I think about how lucky I am...to have such a great wife and son," He murmured, thinking deeply.

"Oh, Gabe..."

"...And in a few months, I'd be willing to start thinking in that direction," He added with a smile.

"Who knows? We could be just as lucky our second time around," Gabe murmured thoughtfully as they both looked down at their sleeping little son.

"Yeah," Lisa replied in a gentle tone, "I'll bet so."

-_end fic- _

_I hope you liked it. I got this written pretty fast, since I had lots of free time this past weekend. But revising takes a few days, so y'know. Anyway, as I said before, more reviews = faster updates! _

_I tried to make this a really sweet Hurt/Comfort type of thing, with a little surprise near the end, so lemme know what you thought of me writing this way. _

_Review, review, review! :) _


	5. Crash

_Chapter four. I've been incredibly busy lately between family, school, and volleyball. So please excuse the slight delay._

_This takes place like 2 months after Joshua started fifth grade._

_Oh, I also want to do some shoutouts to __**MidsummerNightDreamer, Indochine Ramera, x-Dragonsoul-x, Blood Red Vampress, LittleGuyLover, disneytiger, PXLight, risefromgrace16, LUUErocks, and **__**especially**__** Wavebreeze **__for being such big helps for reviewing and helping me improve._

_Let's begin, shall we?_

_-start fic-_

"Joshua, c'mon! Time to leave, son!" Gabe's voice called through their brick townhouse. He glanced down impatiently at his watch.

"Okay, dad! Coming!" Joshua hastily scanned his bedroom floor for anything he might have been forgetting. He didn't see anything, so he ran out of his room and down the hall to the front entrance where his father was waiting.

"Okay, ready," He said as he smiled up at his father. Gabe smiled back before pulling the front door open and motioning for Joshua to go get in the car. Joshua hopped in the backseat, since the front passenger seat of Gabe's Lexus was constantly cluttered with various things. Gabe followed soon after calling a quick "Bye, Lisa! Love you!".

They were coasting down the highway toward Joshua's school. The ride was comfortably quiet, as usual, with the low murmur of the local rock station playing in the background. Gabe glanced at Joshua in his rearview mirror, who was contently looking out the window.

"...Hey, Joshua?" He asked his son.

"Oh, yeah dad?" He answered after shaking himself of his daze.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you to, uh... be super nice to your mom for awhile, okay?" Gabe said, trying to find the words he wanted.

"Um, okay. Is she upset about something?" He asked, worry coming into his wide ochre eyes.

"No, no. She's just uh, under a lot of stress right now," He answered coolly.

"Oh. Yeah, she was sick on Saturday after breakfast. And it seems like she's tired a lot! Is she sick with something?"

"No, she's not sick, don't worry," He said, smiling reassuringly at Joshua in the rearview mirror. Joshua just nodded.

The conversation seemed to die after that, leaving Joshua confused.

Gabriel and Lisa suspected that Lisa was pregnant. She'd missed a cycle recently, experienced fatigue, and had gotten sick a couple times after eating in the mornings. She was having a blood test done today at Resurgam to see if their hypothesis was correct.

He hoped she was pregnant, he'd like to have another child. It seemed like things with Joshua were becoming more and more normal. Joshua loved every minute of having his dad around. He liked being able to watch football with his dad on Monday nights every now and then, even if he didn't actually like football. It was a good way for them to bond, he thought.

Lisa and Gabe had decided that they'd wait until Lisa was into the second trimester to tell him, if she was expecting after all, just in case she were to miscarry.

He sighed, looking ahead.

Gabe was coming to a light that seemed to change suddenly. The person in front of him stopped sharply, and Gabe slammed on brakes, just barely stopping only inches from the car in front of him. He slammed on the horn and cussed loudly, startled.

Suddenly, the world seemed to move in slow motion.

He could hear distantly another horn beeping loudly from the rear of the car, and then he heard a deafening crash from behind him, followed by his neck being thrown forward, and his chest cracking against steering wheel, creating the most excruciating pain he'd ever experienced in his left side. He heard another crash from before him.

Joshua screamed, loud.

A large and rock-hard object seemed to smack hard with Gabriel's torso, worsening the crippling pain in the left side of his chest. His vision went fuzzy for a moment and his lungs seemed unable to move. His world faded to black for a moment as he struggled to regain oxygen in his lungs.

It was hell to breathe, yet he was completely deprived of air.

The rock-hard object against his chest seemed to loosen, and he was only barely able to gasp in desperate lungfuls of air. The pain in the left side of his chest was excruciating, and increased in magnitude with each struggled breath he drew. His vision came back somewhat, and he could see the destroyed front section of his navy blue Lexus. He blinked a few times before turning around suddenly, remembering he had Joshua with him.

"Joshua! Are you okay?" He turned to see Joshua, whose eyes were wide and glistening with tears. But hell, he was alive.

"Joshua, p-please...are y-you alright?" He asked between breaths, and grunts of pain.

"I'm okay...but my back h-hurts now..." He said shakily. Gabe nodded weakly. He was having a lot of trouble catching his breath.

"Can...you...breathe...a-and all?" He said, bringing a hand to his left side.

"Yeah, but...dad? Are you okay?" Gabe couldn't seem to answer before gasping again, his world going black.

...

Lisa was sitting on the couch nibbling on saltine crackers when her BlackBerry began to ring. It was Gabe's cell. That was odd...he didn't normally call until his mid-morning break. She hit the green 'Answer' button, and brought the device to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, ma'am, are you Gabriel Cunningham's wife and Joshua Cunningham's mother?" A deep voice not belonging to her husband inquired hurriedly. A police officer had seen Gabriel's phone and thought it would be a good way to reach his wife, since she would be in his contacts.

She felt her heart begin to race.

"Y-yeah, w-why?"

"They got into a car accident at the intersection about a mile off of the freeway. Joshua's fine, but we think your husband has a couple severely broken ribs, and he's being transported to Resurgam First Care. Your son's going to ride in the ambulance as well, and you need to get to Resurgam as soon as possible," The man declared firmly.

"O-oh my God! Will he be okay? Where's Joshua? Tell him I'm coming right now, and don't be scared, okay?" She was off the couch in an instant, shoving her flip-flops on along with a worn hoodie. She grabbed her purse and ran toward the front door.

"Yes ma'am, you're husband'll be okay. And you're son's fine, just a little shook up and sore. Now, we'll meet you at Resurgam. Bye," He quickly said before hanging up. Lisa jabbed her key into the ignition and turned it before pulling out of the driveway and heading for Resurgam.

...

Maria Torres was giving Gabriel oxygen and making sure the neck brace was secure. She glanced back at Joshua, who was sitting and trying his very hardest not to cry. Normally, Joshua would've thought that riding in an ambulance was the coolest thing ever. But right now, he was too concerned about his dad to really enjoy it.

They arrived seconds later, and Maria and her assistant got Gabriel inside the hospital, and prepared for an oxygen supply for him.

"Way to arrive to work in style, Gabe," Maria chuckled softly, but deep down it pained her to see Gabe in a neck brace, with a breathing mask attached to his face, unmoving. She sighed, and hoped it wasn't anything more serious than a broken rib or two.

...

"Gabe? Are you awake?" Lisa asked softly about an hour later, seeing Gabe's eyelids move some, and his eyes open just a little.

He was still wearing the neck brace, along with a supportive brace on his left side. He oxygen mask was attached using a green elastic of some sort.

Gabe had fractured two ribs more severely, and one just cracked slightly. But the pain had been so extreme that Gabe hadn't been breathing properly, and he lost consiousness, taking short and shallow breaths. He'd been put on strong medications to make the pain at the very least, bearable.

He blinked with half-lidded eyes a few times before opening them more fully and looking over at his wife and son, and smiling weakly. He realized quickly he had braces on his neck and chest, and didn't try to struggle against them. He didn't have the strength.

Joshua felt his stomach crumble to see his dad so weak. He looked down at his lap, fidgeting with his fingernails.

Using his right arm, Gabe removed the breathing mask.

"Y-yeah..." He answered hoarsely, taking in his environment. Lisa smiled at the sound of her husband's voice.

"Honey...you're at Resurgam. You fractured three ribs, two more severely than the other. You're having orthopedic surgery in a little under an hour to repair and put a metal plate on two of your ribs...I didn't think you'd wake up until after the procedure. But...It's so nice to hear your voice," She murmured, rubbing his hand.

Gabe struggled to take a deep breath, and winced at the pain.

"Your's too...Is Joshua okay?" He asked looking over at his son, who wasn't making eye contact with him. Lisa put hooked arm around her son and rubbed his shoulder.

"He's okay...just a sore neck and a backache. He'll be just fine...Joshie? Wanna talk to dad?" Lisa asked her son softly. Joshua looked up at his father, who could see the tears brimming over in his son's wide, ochre eyes. "Dad..." He muttered, speaking softly.

"Are you gonna be okay?" He asked as a single tear slid down his cheek.

The image reappeared in Joshua's head of his father clearly being in overwhelming pain, but struggling to make sure he was okay.

"O-of course, son...hey, don't cry. I'll...be just...f-fine," Gabe replied weakly, managing a reassuring smile.

Joshua smiled back through his tears, and took in a shaky breath.

"Get some rest Gabe...I know you're tired," Lisa said gently to her injured husband. "They're gonna start prepping for surgery soon, and after the surgery, you'll stay here for three more days, then you'll get to come home."

Gabe nodded and reached for his breathing mask again. Lisa took initiative and made sure it was on securely, before dropping a kiss on Gabe's forehead. Gabe quickly fell asleep, after a wave of exhaustion swept over him.

"C'mon love, dad needs to rest," Lisa murmured to Joshua, who followed his mom to the door.

When Lisa exited the room, Tomoe, Maria, Naomi, and Alyssa all stood near the door.

"Heeey, Lisa, hey Joshie!" Maria exclaimed in a low voice. Lisa smiled at Maria. "So, uh...is Gabe alright? His vitals weren't that spectacular during transport, so I, uh, thought I'd check in."

"He's looking better, and are his vital signs. He's really weak and tired, though," Lisa answered, fatigued.

"Yeah, I thought so. Well, his surgery should be a complete success!" She exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.

Lisa smiled again and nodded.

"Lisa, Joshua..." Tomoe began, "I'm sorry this happened. I know it must be hard on you both, and I'm certainly going to wish you well. I bet Dr. Cunningham will be back on his feet and back to himself soon enough!" She tried her best to be reassuring and comforting to the worried mother and son.

"I really appreciate that, Dr. Tachibana. It's..._really _hard for me to see him like that..." She murmured. Tomoe placed a hand on Lisa's shoulder, giving her a look of sympathy.

"I know, but soon he'll be good as new!" She said, smiling.

Joshua remained quiet during the women's exchange, when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see a pair of wide green eyes looking into his milk chocolate ones. Alyssa's eyes.

"Hi, Joshua! I heard about your daddy. I'm sorry! But Naomi told me that Mr. Gabriel's a fighter, and he should be better very soon!" Her eyes glimmered.

"Thanks, Alyssa...I hope so," He answered.

Alyssa nodded.

"Sure! Naomi was taking me to school, when Maria called her 'bout what happened, and...she said we needed to stop by here. I might still be goin' to school later, but I don't _think _so. If I am, you can ride with me there! Wull, if ya want!" Alyssa offered, a beam on her always-cheerful face. Joshua may have been a fifth grader, but that still didn't stop him from thinking Alyssa was cute as could be. She had loads of friends at school, yet whenever she saw him, she always ran up to Joshua and gave him an excited hug. He thought she was a sweet girl.

"Thanks, Lyssa. I don't think I'll be going, though. But thanks anyway," He said with a shy little smile. Alyssa felt her heart leapt with happiness at the little nickname. 'Lyssa'. She liked that...coming from him.

"Yep...I doubt I'm going. I could stay here with you if you're sad!" She said, trying to make her friend feel better. Alyssa felt an odd feeling when she talked to Joshua. She thought he was super cute, and whenever she gave him a hug at school, all her friends giggled blushed, a little envious of Alyssa for getting to hug him, especially since he 'hugged back!'. Every girl at East Portland Elementary knew how cute Joshua Cunningham was.

"That's really nice of you...I'd like that a lot!" Joshua answered. Alyssa was dressed in a grey skirt, with a navy blue sweater on over a plain white long-sleeved shirt. Joshua had noticed that Naomi dressed Alyssa in things she might've worn when she was a child, plain with calm colors. Joshua thought neon greens, pinks, and blues would fit the hyper and excitable third-grader, but she was _always _dressed well.

Alyssa smiled wide at him, a blush coloring her cheeks.

"Alyssa," Naomi cut in suddenly after finishing her conversation with Lisa, "it's about your lunchtime. C'mon, we're gonna head to the cafeteria. Oh, and Lisa, I'd be happy to take Joshua down to eat if he's hungry. If you want, I could grab you something as well. I know you need to stay close-by since they'll be prepping for Gabriel's surgery soon...anything I could get you?" She offered.

Lisa smiled in a tired way, and shook her head. "I don't have much of an appetite, I feel a little, um, nauseated. I have all morning...and this didn't help things much, I guess," She gave Naomi a sly wink, who quickly caught on. "But thanks so much, anyway. That would be great if you could take Joshua...you don't mind?"

"No, of course not. And I hope that improves soon...did you reschedule your, um... appointment?" Naomi asked, trying to be secretive. But Alyssa and Joshua weren't paying attention either way.

"I did, for tomorrow. So Gabe can be out of surgery...I'd like to be able to tell him as soon as I know," Lisa said with a smile.

"Of course. Well, let me get these two some lunch. And don't worry, its on me," Naomi offered with a smile.

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver, Naomi."

Naomi gave a quick smile before taking the kids down to eat.

...

Lisa was looking down at her husband, who was about to go into surgery. The nurses were giving her a chance to kiss him and say a few words before he was brought into surgery.

"Gabe...I love you. You know that...and you'll be just fine. Tomorrow we'll be able to confirm we're having another baby...I sure hope we are, love," Lisa finished, before dropping a kiss on Gabe's lips. He wasn't under anesthesia yet, but he was fast asleep, as the difficulty breathing drained his energy quickly.

The nurses rolled him behind the double doors of the surgery suite as Lisa watched him disappear. She let a tear slip out her eye. She'd held her tears in all day, not shed one tear, so Joshua wouldn't be scared.

But she finally couldn't hold in the tears anymore. She let them drip silently from her eyes, biting her lip.

Gabe was a true fighter, always had been. But she hated seeing him hurt...He was so weak, drained of his personality, and color. When she'd heard about him fracturing his arm and being crushed under rubble after the bus crash, she was immediatley immersed in concern.

She never knew what might happen to her soulmate. His job required him to be in close proximity with people who had potentially fatal diseases, in some cases. There was no way to know what might happen to him when he was away from her. Accidents and injuries seemed to follow him around.

And as she watched him disappear behind the swinging doors, she found herself in another situation where she didn't know what would happen when he was outside of her reach.

She found she could only pray and hope, and that would have to be enough for right then.

Sighing, she tightened her grip around her wedding ring, hoping with all she had he'd be alright.

_-end fic- _

_I really hoped you liked this. It probably took me like four hours altogether to write this. I proofread it once. _

_I know, it was kinda like BOOM CRASH OMG WTFFFFFFF- _

_I said earlier I was proud of this chapter, but...I'm not. I'm seeing that this chapter is actually pretty crappy, in my honest opinion. I might finish this little series, but...don't get your hopes up. _

_I'll be giving shoutouts to reviewers, if I finish this. _


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